The Fyra Disaster

The Dutch high-speed line (HSL-Zuid) has so far cost 8 billion euro. The only company using the track is the Belgian-French company Thalys. The Dutch railways (NS) and their Fyra are standing still and the top of NS has now decided that the Fyra will never be in use. That the NS decided to stop with the Fyra was announced on Monday after the Board of NS informed State Secretary of Railways, Wilma Mansveld. The board says that research shows that the train is insufficiently reliable. The Fyra project has become a thriller. The Ministry of Traffic was the first of all the players who did an important move. In 1999 they invited the French-Belgian Thalys, without informing the NS, to exploit the HSL-Zuid. This was felt, by the NS, as a stab in the back. In 2001 the government opened a bidding for the use of the HSL tracks. The NS wins the bidding but realizes immediately that they have offered too much. On the other hand they had to do it for the continuity of the company. The NS makes a plan and needs to buy trains. In 2004 they announce, according to European guidelines, an open bidding for the production of 19 high-speed trains. All major producers, from Europe to Japan, have unfortunately no interest in the project and finally the NS makes a deal with the Italian company AnsaldoBreda. Although the Italian company has no experience with the production of high-speed trains and has no good references, the NS has no other options. After nine years the opponents to the deal, can now say ‘I told you so’. The trains have been nothing but trouble and the NS wants to stop the cooperation with the Italian company per immediately. Although the NS is a private company, the only share holder is the Ministry of Finance. Minister Dijsselbloem says that he first wants to know all the ins and outs, like the financial effects, before the final decision can be made. State Secretary Wilma Mansveld, who is responsible for the railways, also wants to have all the details before a decision can be made. She hopes that by Friday all the available information can be send to the House. Nevertheless did she spoke on Monday about 'a wise decision of the NS board'. As economy professor Piet Rietveld of the Free University (VU) in Amsterdam states on Monday: “This is a good example of another infrastructural failure in the Netherlands.” He thinks that the main reason is the lack of professionalism of the civil servants. The NS made, according to the professor, two big mistakes. “They have signed an unrealistic offer and bought improper materials. It is no surprise to me that the Ministry of Infrastructure is going to look for other parties, then the NS, to exploit the high-speed line.”